Puppets
by Anteaterina
Summary: [Lizeroth III][AU] Project Keybearer is humanity's last chance against the mechanical men. If only the story had stayed so simple...[RR, CC]
1. Project Keybearer

**Note from the author:** My only reason for posting fan fiction is so that readers might be entertained by them, nothing more. Please enjoy.

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**Chapter I: Project Keybearer**

The figure raised its head, standing erect on the horizon like a black shadow. Flies flickered around its metallic feet but remained unconcerned, as if it weren't even there. They hummed around their plentiful meal, unaware of the gravity of the picture that surrounded them. The shadow remained proud, tall, and towered over its conquest with sinister metal eyes.

The sea of corpses was festering. The figure turned its smooth head slowly, surveying the scene with stiff indifference. If it had a working mouth, it would be smirking with ignoble triumph at the success of the battle. Instead, it was content to stand as the tallest object, impervious to the smell of rotting flesh.

There was no one alive for miles.

---

Ansem the Wise stared back at the boy with mute surprise. The day outside was bleak and grey, though the lab had no windows and was instead lit by faded neon lights stretching across the walls. For all intents and purposes, there was no day or night in the mansion's basement. The dark atmosphere complimented his mood perfectly, and Ansem's disappointment was illustrated unambiguously in his tone.

"You yourself know that--"

"But Ansem!" the boy interrupted, intent fervor reflected in his eyes. "I really think you should consider the points I've made! Also, if I can show you again what I meant on page three…" Sora enthusiastically flipped through the pages he was clutching, grinning with uncontained confidence. Ansem stilled the pages with his hand and shook his head sourly at the boyish and hopeful face that looked back so eagerly; the boy hung on his every word.

"I don't care for your unorganized attempts at persuasion; you cannot fight on the front lines. I won't allow it, and the reasons have been made more than clear, Keybearer." Sora shrunk back slightly at Ansem's rigid expression, glancing sideways uneasily towards the computers.

"But--" Sora was interrupted as the door to the lab slid open. A girl with dark red hair trotted in, her body covered in a white lab coat and red goggles loosely hanging around her neck. Glancing up, she flaunted a toothy smile at Sora, but it wavered as it went unreturned.

"Hello Ansem, Sora," she said cheerfully, laying a file down next to the computer. Her steps were upbeat and lively, her heals clacking like pebbles; something that Sora always found reassuring. He looked to Ansem expectantly, but the man had already turned to flip absentmindedly through some notes scattered across his desk.

"His name isn't Sora, Miss Hime. His official name is Project Keybearer, how many times must I tell you?"

The girl and Sora ignored him. "Hi, Kairi," Sora replied, finally smiling back at her with his usual goofy grin. "Where's Riku?"

"Oh, he's helping George and Donald with Mickey." She sat down next to him, uneasy at Sora's dour expression but smiling anyway. She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned back to look over at Ansem, giggling as she anticipated the routine reply.

"Stop calling it that," said Ansem from his desk, his voice monotone as though he replied out of dreary routine. "I hope that you'll come to your senses and stop with those childish and superfluous pet names."

"Come on, don't you at least think the name Sora fits the guy better than 'Keybearer'?" said a tall, handsome figure standing in the doorway, wearing the same clothes as Kairi.

"Riku!" Kairi and Sora both exclaimed, greeting him with eager faces. Sora grinned, absentmindedly handing the papers to Kairi and marching over. They were crumpled at the edges from his unconscious fidgeting, and Kairi fingered the wrinkles as she thumbed through.

"I guess Donald and George don't need your help after all. How's Mickey coming along?" Sora asked Riku. They both held their laughter as Ansem sighed again in annoyance.

"He's progressing faster than you did, Sora, though you have always been slower." Riku smiled, messing Sora's hair affectionately as the other boy scowled. "Hey, what're you reading there?" Riku asked, leaning over and looking at Kairi. Sora turned around quickly and bit his lip when he saw her skimming through his papers solemnly.

He briskly strode over, expecting her to relinquish them into his outstretched hand; she waited until she had skimmed through the last paragraph. He took them quickly from her, laughing nervously while Riku watched them, puzzled.

"Don't worry about that thing, Kairi. Ansem turned it down anyway." Kairi looked up at him, and Sora swallowed anxiously under her gaze.

"There's no need to pay that document any mind. Project Keybearer was just trying to convince me, yet again, to send him to the front lines to fight with the regular soldiers. Of course I refused, as always," Ansem said apathetically from his desk, still looking fixedly at his notes. Riku knit his brow, glancing over to Sora who was fidgeting with the papers and smiling nervously. Despite his earlier reassurances, both Riku and Kairi knew better.

They had been aware for a while that Sora was increasingly desperate for human interaction, and they were growing disconcerted. In his earlier stages of artificial cognitive social development, he had been so pained at the dreary pall that saturated the basement laboratory that he had thrown a tantrum. Half of the computers and a wall were completely destroyed by the time he had finished. Ansem had finally settled his pride and allowed Sora to meander through most of the floors of his mansion. As he had predicted, Sora began to notice the vibrant life that surrounded the mansion, and the boy's desperation grew as the walls containing him became the established limits to his world.

Once he was allowed to fight, Sora's pent up anxieties had an adequate release. Still, being encircled by nothing but hostile metal puppets tugged at the urge inside of him, the urge for civilized contact beyond test tubes and circuits and robots.

It pained Ansem's assistants that Sora had developed from a stable, placid experiment to a warm-faced boy, and they lacked the expert training to deal with the latter. Riku had often commented, when Kairi or Donald were particularly fatigued by a project or report that was due, that people were much harder to control than experiments. The weight of the saying intensified as their work with Sora grew more intimate.

The saddest truth of their relationship with Sora, the one that was hardest to face, was that Ansem the Wise always knew best. He was perfectly right that Sora was far too valuable to fight on the front lines and that the chaos of fighting with humans would lead to immeasurable amounts of problems for both Sora and the people he wanted to protect.

He was the only mechanical being they had on their side, after all.

---

Donald and George were almost complete contrasts, but their partnership still managed to function with few kinks. George was tall and lanky, with a rural southern accent and a hardly scientific appearance. Donald was a short, angry man with a pink face and a viciously raspy voice that was unintelligible to anyone who hadn't had time to grow accustomed.

"Don't touch that!" the squat man squawked, grabbing the wrench fiercely out of Riku's hand and waving it threateningly. Riku sighed, smiling a little at Donald's temper. The man was prone to unnecessary outbursts of frustration, and watching him waddle away each time was like observing a fuming duck try to storm off on dry land.

"Gwarsh, Donald. Could you help me with these connections?" George asked, rubbing his head quizzically. George hardly appeared to be the scientific type, but his penchant at physics was the most genius among the four mechanics and scientists. It certainly didn't show in his buck toothed grin.

Riku stood silent, watching the two mess with the giant metal egg that was Project King. They were remarkably dedicated, treating their work like an art form rather than engineering. That was one of the traits Riku admired most about them, aside from the humorous duo they made.

He watched them silently for a few minutes, finally becoming comfortable enough to voice his question. "What do you guys…?" Riku started, shifting his weight, "…think of Project Keybearer? When it comes to how it fights, or how it functions…"

George and Donald seemed indifferent to Riku's question, continuing to stay sternly focused on what they were doing. Riku scoffed a little at being ignored; he had taken the question quite seriously, and was anxious for an answer. After wiping his face with a nearby towel, George rubbed his hands and replied nonchalantly, "Sora's just a good kid, Riku. A good kid."

Riku was taken aback at how simple the answer was.

---

The voices sounded like old speakers, their vibrations echoing through a wired cage and coming out in scratchy pieces.

"We won't hesitate, then, if that's what you wish. Hopefully this won't be another hackneyed strategy and reinforcements won't be needed, unlike our previous failure."

"If some of us weren't so craven when it came to controlling those on the front lines…"

"Their forces were unpredictably strong. Project Keybearer's sabotage of our weapons in the west field…what choice did we have but to be apprehensive?"

"It's all in the past now, IV, no need to be defensive. What are you, a human?"

Among the more sentient robots, referring to any of them as a human or having human qualities was a dire insult, usually followed with a battle that left both the offended and the offender in undistinguishable scattered pieces. Axel had been indulgent with the phrase ever since he witnessed how far most robots would go to defend their honor as artificial creations, and though his snide comments still held weight with the older members, to most it had grown trite.

Vexen scowled with animosity, or at least he would have if he had a face. The humanoid metal robots had smooth and generic heads, distinguished by two eye-like sensors that were placed appropriately where they would be on a human face. They also had metal shielding over their heads; one of the few attributes that varied between them, usually reminiscent of strange, though gravity defying, hair. Originality with these two features, a surprisingly human concept, was still kept by the sentient members as a means of distinguishing themselves from the mindless clones of dusks.

"Number VIII," Vexen started venomously, shamelessly using Axel's rank in the Organization in an attempt to flaunt his authority, "despite your victories towards the southern front, you still have a ways to go before matching the military prowess of the original six. I have yet to acknowledge any genius in you that would give you leave to address me so brashly."

"Let's not get into arguments now, of all times," said a broad shouldered, pastel crimson robot sitting in the eleventh seat. His head was bowed contemplatively; both he and the Superior never faltered in their focus during strategic meetings. Both were prone to losing themselves to silent scheming, drifting into a complex and devious world of their own, while the rest of the robots bickered amongst themselves. For an organization of deadly mechanical men, Marluxia found their disorganization deplorable.

"If you don't mind me interrupting," said number VI, his elbows resting on the table and his hands interwoven, "shouldn't we direct our attention to the implementation of our latest project?"

"Indeed," said the Superior, lifting his head and looking around the table at his subordinates. They quickly silenced under his gaze. "Our losses have been growing as Project Keybearer's skills have improved. The time to counter has come; our project can't wait on the sidelines anymore while our forces take more damage. Axel, I believe number XII assigned you to monitor and calculate its progress."

All eyes, lifeless as they were, shifted to Axel, who calmly took their weight. The other members of the Organization were extremely suspicious of him and his motives, and they had been appalled when informed that another questionable neophyte had assigned him with such a principal task.

Axel let them wait briefly, leaning in his seat and returning their looks coolly. While the rest of the Organization assumed his slight pause was meant to further rile number IV, it was actually due to something entirely different.

Axel was contemplating something that even the new members would find outlandish coming from such a vexing character.

---


	2. Riku

**Chapter II: Riku**

_Riku was never intimidated by the elegant and powerful mansion, only filled with youthful and unadulterated reverence. Throughout the tour, Ansem the Wise managed to always stay a few steps ahead no matter how briskly they explored each room, and the silences between explanations were longer than expected. Despite such a lacking tour, Riku's thoughts were constantly distracted by sights of enigmatic new devices, peculiar collections of books, and colorful foreign paintings donning the walls. _

_Riku had slowed his pace numerous times as his attention was caught by strange and exciting novelty, but his scattered daydreams were interrupted as he accidentally collided with Ansem while lost in a reverie. Quickly muttering an apology, Riku stared at the hand now placed on his shoulder. The words that followed were archaic and commonplace, but oddly haunting in their tone._

"_You remind me of myself when I was your age…"_

It was an hour until dawn, but Riku still intently studied the project without faltering; the secrecy of his work veiled inconspicuously by the lonely dark room.

---

"Yes!" Sora cheered loudly as he took the unwelcome liberty of whisking Riku's dog to jail, knocking over Kairi's thimble in the process. Riku watched his dog with defeat, glaring sideways at Sora with mock resentment.

"Hey, watch where you're going," Kairi reprimanded, delicately moving the thimble back into place, underhandedly placing it a space ahead while Riku fumed and Sora rolled the dice. He rolled a five, and promptly purchased his third train station as Riku and Kairi groaned at his conquest. "I was so close..." muttered Kairi bitterly, crossing her arms and pouting stubbornly.

The entire scene was, in fact, reminiscent of a preschool play pen as long as the laboratory technology and steel walls were discreetly ignored. All three of them were on the floor; Kairi was sitting with her legs crossed and her lab coat flaring behind her, Sora's body was flattened on his stomach, and Riku was resting his chin on his knee while his other leg shifted on the floor uncomfortably. They were arranged in an odd semicircle, surrounding a large game board in the center which they studied fixedly. The scene was hardly uncommon; the two scientists still had their youth, after all, and Sora had developed most of his personality by mimicking them both.

"After this can we play Parcheesi?" asked Riku with a bland face. Sora stuck out his lower lip indignantly.

"You're just saying that 'cause you know I always lose at that game."

"And you're just saying that because you always win at monopoly." Riku attempted to reach over and swap Sora's head, but Sora avoided him by rolling over into Kairi. She laughed, pushing him back. Riku had risen by now, and was currently knocking Kairi's piece over with his foot as he leaned in for the attack. She frowned irritably, reaching for her piece to straighten it again before Sora jumped up and the fight was on. Knocking over the board, he scrambled over past Riku, who turned and chased after him gracelessly. After staring crossly at the ruined game board, Kairi leaned back on her hands and giggled as Riku and Sora circled the room twice. Riku finally managed to wrestle Sora to the ground, leaning over him with wild pride in his eyes, but Sora only stuck his tongue out teasingly.

Almost as quickly as they had fanned out into disarray, the trio immediately bounded to their feet as if they hadn't been previously enjoying their leisure. They furiously began organizing everything which was out of place, desperately grabbing stray pieces but still sparing playful glances with each other. George had popped in his head into the room and given the signal, a wink and a nod, which had signaled their sudden change of priority. Ansem had returned.

---

_The books on the right side of the room had worn, elderly qualities, and Riku took his time paging through the ones with the longest titles and most elegant bindings. The topics ranged from programming to engineering, and Riku could barely decipher the old and complex words saturating the texts. He still scrutinized them as if they were his own, even dragging a chair over to reach the books shelved highest. According to Riku's logic, the higher the books were placed, the less they were meant to be read, and curiosity was a constant gravitational force for him._

_He was reluctant to leave the ethereal library as Ansem called him over from the golden doorway on the other end of the room. Riku didn't rush across the room; rather, his steps were heavy and casual in unconscious spite for the man currently staring him down, stoic and unmoving._

"_I have someone for you to meet, Riku."_

_The room he was lead to was one he had never noticed, the door small and unadorned. It was a ghostly room, with white walls and white floors like undisturbed cream. Riku was taken aback by how eerie and out of place this room was with the rest of the orange tinted mansion; the only colors to contrast with the white were the purple shadows that were stretched across the floor by the curtains…_

…_and the spot of red hair on a pale little girl standing alone in the center. Her vibrant hair was the only visible stain in such a clean chamber._

_---_

"You're such a goof," Kairi said, playfully shoving George's shoulder. George grinned at the word, which had almost become a nickname by now, but his eyes remained firmly attached to the notes. Kairi looked over his shoulder expectantly, trying to see if the man would show any reaction at all besides his usual smiles and nods; her notes were more thorough than usual and she was hoping for at least some modest recognition.

George said nothing, though he continued to smile, and Kairi began to busy herself with superfluous and tedious organizing. She had known that George was a slow reader since their first day working together, but this time she couldn't manage to keep herself occupied while she waited patiently for his commentary. Donald would have been a more expedient choice of editor, but he would unquestionably reprimand her for her mistakes and tirade on them for as long as it took George to read them. Kairi idly wondered, as her hands wound through her hair, what the result would be if George and Donald were somehow spliced together and their better attributes combined. The thought greatly perturbed her, and she quickly moved on to other superfluous musings, making her way down the desk as her hands subconsciously felt for something to be busy with.

The familiar shape of the keyhole was icy to the touch, but Kairi was barely startled that her feet had carried her there. She had eyed the small, unappealing metal lock numerous times before; there is something inherently alluring about a locked door, and it didn't escape Kairi's interest.

Kairi knew that Riku knew what was on the other side; it was blatant to her regardless of her lack of evidence. Sora was oblivious to Riku's bordering mysterious nature, but Kairi was suspicious of what he was so intent on guarding. She decided that it might be her inquisitive nature and scientific upbringing that caused her to study him, but all she could infer so far was that Riku longed for something that was just too far beyond her line of sight. There was a dark, reserved feeling to him, a stark contrast to the light and open Sora; Kairi often wondered how she truly saw Sora and Riku, what drew her towards one and away from the other.

Kairi was afraid of Riku, and she hadn't the faintest idea why.

---

_Riku was still puzzled as to why they were building an android. Not only were robots easier to assemble mechanically, but they were also much simpler to program. Humans were complex, and creating a near exact replica of one was ridiculously excessive considering the desired goal. As he studied the blueprints with more vigor, his mouth even gaped slightly at how absurdly convoluted the project would prove to be._

_He finally decided to voice his objections. "Ansem," he implored, "not only would a regular humanoid be more practical to create, we would also have an advantage in blending with the enemy. We might even have a chance to infiltrate their ranks! An android would be…"_

"…_too human." Ansem finished his sentence. He eyed the boy, but Riku only looked back quizzically. "I won't have our creations resembling those monstrosities. We are man, they are machine. I won't have one of them in my home."_

_The brief conversation was left at that. While Ansem was visibly relieved that Riku had let go of the notion and was returning to finishing his work, the cogs in Riku's head were revolving. Ansem's intention, Riku was slowly and surely wrapping his mind around different and independent blueprints._

_---_

Ansem sat in an ornate crimson chair, sustaining an aura of both refinement and relaxation. Sora stood opposite him, his posture acutely rigid but his expression still carrying a juvenile approachableness. The room was stiff and elegant; earth colored books crowded the golden-edged bookcases lining the walls. The two were a few feet apart, remaining still in their positions like well balanced dolls. Only their mouths moved.

"You understand, then?"

"Yes."

"The transmissions will be cut at the allotted time. Be careful of the problems that affected communication systems on the last mission."

"I know."

"You will review your infiltration information package thoroughly. Do not allow it to leave your side until we commence with the mission. No matter how fast you can process it, I don't trust it to be reliable to you if it's just data."

Sora's silence was understandable confirmation. Ansem continued to review other tiresome instructions concerning the operation, and Sora accepted quietly. He had learned from his earliest days that Ansem valued mute recognition, and though Sora found it taxing he could still keep himself steady and alert during their meetings. There were no other options.

"This meeting is over."

Sora hurried out of the room too earnestly for Ansem's tastes. The man sighed, touching his index finger to his temple while the other tapped melodically on the mahogany table, signaling his retreat into his thoughts. There were many things to mull over: Project Keybearer, robots, and all subjects in between. His brow furrowed with concentration, and the sound of his finger on the table increased exponentially. Sora was reliable, but this infiltration mission would be the most hazardous he might ever face. There were still cracks in the plan that could only be filled while in action, and if there was anything that grated on Ansem, it was plans that didn't function in an organized mechanical fashion.

Sora was already a fair way down the hall, sparing fleeting glimpses sideways out every other window.

---

"_You're quite talented."_

_Riku shuddered, instinctively shutting the book and turning his head awkwardly. He kept the rest of his body still, protectively shielding the book in his lap from the man leaning over his shoulder._

"_How so?" Riku asked suspiciously. He was only reading a book, after all. There wasn't any sign of activity in the room; every book was correctly placed on its designated shelf. The only sign that anyone still used the old fashioned library was its sanitary state, as well as the boy and the book sitting comfortably at the table in the middle of the room._

"_Attempting something like that…" Ansem gestured towards the book, "…would be considered too complex for someone your age." Riku glowered. "Still, I'd advice not pursuing pseudo mechanics, Riku. That book should hardly be a concern for someone so far above reading childish science fiction."_

_Riku, confused and contemptuous, turned his eyes back to the pages without a response. Ansem appropriately said no more, leaving the library with unnatural silence. Remaining indifferent, Riku balanced the book on his knees and slipped a hair band out of his pocket, drawing his hair back and continuing to read each word with focused intensity._

_Ansem's vision was being blinded by his fervent thoughts of revenge, but even he should have known what such a simple book would do._

_---_


End file.
